• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechGoogle

J.J. Abrams Will Tell the Story of Google’s ‘Moon Shot’

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 3, 2016, 2:35 PM ET
Producer and director J.J. Abrams poses on the red carpet for a screening of the film "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" in New York
Producer and director J.J. Abrams poses on the red carpet for a screening of the film "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" in New York July 27, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RTX1M1TLPhotograph by Brendan McDermid — Reuters

J.J. Abrams, who has just come off directing the most successful Star Wars film in the franchise’s history, is now working with Google on another space project.

Abrams has teamed with Google (GOOGL) to produce a “documentary web series” called Moon Shot about Google’s Lunar XPRIZE, the company announced on Thursday. The series will follow some of the teams hoping to win the lion’s share of Google’s $30 million prize for successfully landing a privately funded rover on the moon, travel 500 meters, and send high-definition videos and images back to Earth.

The first team to achieve its mission will win $20 million while the second team will win $5 million. The remaining $5 million will be distributed to teams that hit several milestones, including landing, mobility, and imaging.

Google’s Lunar XPRIZE was announced back in 2007 to bolster entrepreneurial interest in space exploration. Google says that it picked the moon as the teams’ destination because of its “exciting opportunities for discovery in the fields of science, technology, resource detection and utilization, and human habitation.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Since then, 19 teams from around the world have signed on to try to reach the moon. Teams have until the end of this year to obtain a verified launch contract, meaning they have the rocket ready to send their rover to the moon. Next year, the teams will compete to be the first to reach the moon. The competition will end on Dec. 31, 2017, regardless of whether a team has actually succeeded in its mission.

Bringing Abrams aboard gives the documentary some much-needed star power. Abrams has most recently directed the wildly popular and record-shattering Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film was the first in the famed Star Wars franchise to not be directed by the franchise’s creator George Lucas. It was, however, widely lauded by critics and dedicated fans, alike.

The One Way J.J. Abrams Can’t Beat George Lucas

Abrams’ involvement in Moon Shot is in keeping with his apparent interest in space. In addition to Star Wars, Abrams was also involved in Star Trek films over the last several years. He’ll also be executive producer on the next Star Wars film.

While Moon Shot won’t depict fictitious characters, it will follow some of the teams competing for Google’s prize across nine episodes. A trailer suggests the show will be focus on team members and follow them on their journey to the moon.

“This character-driven, emotional, awe-inspiring series of 9 short films will follow a selection of the teams currently racing to complete their missions,” Google said in a statement. “It will explore the lives of their charismatic, quirky members, the sacrifices they have made to get to where they are today, and crucially, what drives them on this incredible journey.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuXxBoSYmfc]

Moon Shot is slated to take off on March 15 as a free download on the Google Play marketplace. It’ll premiere on YouTube on March 17.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

joaquin
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Johnson & Johnson CEO: America’s innovation advantage starts with health 
By Joaquin DuatoMay 9, 2026
25 minutes ago
Qualcomm’s CEO is working with ‘pretty much all’ major AI players on top-secret devices—and powering OpenAI’s first push into hardware
AIQualcomm
Qualcomm’s CEO is working with ‘pretty much all’ major AI players on top-secret devices—and powering OpenAI’s first push into hardware
By Eva RoytburgMay 9, 2026
1 hour ago
reed
CommentaryRetirement
Tim Cook and Reed Hastings just showed every CEO how to leave gracefully
By Paul HardartMay 9, 2026
3 hours ago
Companies are abandoning ‘peanut butter’ raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
Future of WorkTech
Companies are abandoning ‘peanut butter’ raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 9, 2026
4 hours ago
Goldman Sachs’ tech boss says tracking individual AI usage isn’t useful. He just watches how fast his 12,000 engineers move from idea to production
AIBanks
Goldman Sachs’ tech boss says tracking individual AI usage isn’t useful. He just watches how fast his 12,000 engineers move from idea to production
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 8, 2026
17 hours ago
hacking
CybersecurityHacking
Student hackers get revenge on final exams as ‘ShinyHunters’ takes down nearly 9,000 schools study software
By Heather Hollingsworth and The Associated PressMay 8, 2026
20 hours ago

Most Popular

California farmers must destroy 420,000 peach trees after Del Monte closes its canneries and cancels more than $550 million in long-term contracts
North America
California farmers must destroy 420,000 peach trees after Del Monte closes its canneries and cancels more than $550 million in long-term contracts
By Sasha RogelbergMay 7, 2026
2 days ago
'Blue dot fever' plagues musicians like Post Malone, Meghan Trainor, and Zayn as a growing list of artists cancel tours due to lagging ticket sales
Arts & Entertainment
'Blue dot fever' plagues musicians like Post Malone, Meghan Trainor, and Zayn as a growing list of artists cancel tours due to lagging ticket sales
By Dave Lozo and Morning BrewMay 7, 2026
2 days ago
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
Magazine
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
By Sharon GoldmanMay 6, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 8, 2026
23 hours ago
U.S. Treasury will have to borrow $2 trillion this year just to continue functioning—more than $166 billion every month
Economy
U.S. Treasury will have to borrow $2 trillion this year just to continue functioning—more than $166 billion every month
By Eleanor PringleMay 7, 2026
2 days ago
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky warns two types of people won’t survive the AI era: ‘pure people managers’ and workers who resist change
Success
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky warns two types of people won’t survive the AI era: ‘pure people managers’ and workers who resist change
By Emma BurleighMay 7, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.